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Grand to Grand Ultra

Thursday, 5 October 2017

Jason Haddy, Aaron Olivier, Juan Francisco, James Creedon and Peter Cromie at the start of the Grand to Grand Ultra

THE Grand to Grand Ultra started on Saturday September 23 on the rim of the Grand Canyon at an altitude of 5344 feet from where; over the next seven days runners would cover 170 miles (273km) in six stages.The course would lead them through a mix of terrains, including hard packed sand, soft sand, sand dunes, forest trails, red rock climbs, rocky roads and slot canyons to the eventual finish on the summit of the Pink Cliffs of the Grand Staircase at an altitude of 8698 feet.With the organisers providing only tent and water, participants had to carry all the equipment and clothing and food they needed to be self sufficient for the seven days meaning having to deal with heavy backpacks as well as the environmental conditions.Stage one started on the rim of the Grand Canyon at 8.00am on Saturday September 23 with the runners having to cover 30.8 miles on dry dirt trail, roads, brush and fields to their second campsite.